Beijing Protests Japanese Entry Into Disputed Waters

BEIJING—China's foreign ministry strongly criticized a Japanese flotilla's entry into disputed waters Tuesday, as territorial tensions rose further in the East China Sea.

First foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying protested what she called the illegal entry of boats piloted by Japanese activists into waters near islands claimed by both countries, and said China had dispatched eight patrol boats to police the area, an action that was in turn protested by Tokyo. The islands are known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.

Ms. Hua also criticized visits to a World War II shrine by dozens of Japanese parliamentary members and government officials, including senior members in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government.

"No matter in what capacity or what form, the Japanese leaders' visit to the Yasukuni shrine is in essence an attempt to deny Japan's history of aggression through its militarism," she said, adding that Japan's actions "merit high alert and vigilance by its Asian neighbors and the international community."

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